1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure reducing valve, which includes a piston that is displaceable depending on a pressure in a decompression chamber.
2. Description of the Related Art
As well known in the art, pressure reducing valves function to reduce the pressure of a high-pressure fluid to a given pressure. The present applicant has proposed a diaphragm-type pressure reducing valve, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-237861.
With the diaphragm-type pressure reducing valve disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-237861, a valve rod and a diaphragm rod on which a diaphragm is supported are connected through a connecting shaft. The connecting shaft is displaced in a hollow interior portion of a guide member, and at this time, a side wall of the connecting shaft is held in sliding contact with an inner circumferential wall of the guide member. Moreover, as understood from FIG. 3 of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-237861, a connection location between the valve rod and the connecting shaft is disposed lower than a sliding contact area where the side wall of the connecting shaft is held in sliding contact with the inner circumferential wall of the guide member.
The valve rod is displaced in conjunction with the above-described displacement of the connecting shaft. The valve rod passes through a guide hole formed in another guide member separate from the aforementioned guide member. Therefore, when the valve rod is displaced, the side wall of the valve rod is held in sliding contact with the inner circumferential wall of the guide hole.